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Billionaire mogul Sir Richard Branson got one step closer to his dream of becoming a pioneer in the field of space tourism with the successful supersonic test flight on Monday of his SpaceShipTwo craft. Branson's company, Virgin Galactic -- which has been working for years to spearhead commercial space flight -- will charge $200,000 for a suborbital ride for the first 600 thrill-seekers who sign up.

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On its third test flight, Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo broke the sound barrier flying at an altitude of 71,000 feet. Pilot Dave MacKay, who was at the controls of the aircraft, said the flight was a "dream come true." Virgin CEO Richard Branson declared 2014 "the year when we will finally put our beautiful spaceship in her natural environment of space."

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo conducted its first rocket-powered flight, going supersonic for about 16 seconds over the the Mojave Desert in California. The craft successfully tested its hybrid engine. Virgin Galactic owner Richard Branson hopes his SpaceShipTwo will be able to make its first space flight this year.

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo got airborne for the first time on Monday, anchored beneath the 140-foot wings of WhiteKnightTwo. The captive carry flight was seen as crucial to the company's hopes of carrying tourists into space as early as next year. Glide flights, powered flights at both subsonic and supersonic speeds and finally suborbital flights are all required before FAA certification.

Virgin Galactic, an offshoot of billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways, says it expects to begin testing flights into space in 2011. As many as 330 people have paid deposits of about $45 million to take the $200,000 ride into space.

White Knight Two, the twin-fuselage plane designed as a mothership for Virgin Galactic's commercial spacecraft, completed its first test flight Sunday. The distinctive plane eventually will serve as the airborne launch pad for SpaceShipTwo, which will carry six paying passengers on suborbital space flights.